Acting on a suggestion by Supervisor Douglas Berwanger at its March meeting, the Arcade Town Board decided to add its voice to the government entities in New York State opposing the NY SAFE Act. Passed by the NYS Legislature in response to the mass shooting in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, the SAFE Act is designed to keep guns out of the hands of potentially dangerous mental health patients and ban high capacity magazines and assault weapons.
Critics say the new legislation goes too far in limiting rights guaranteed to citizens by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. They also question the fact the law was passed so quickly.
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Berwanger repeated a quote made at the county board meeting by former DA Gerry Stout, now supervisor of the Town of Orangeville.
“I think Gerry Stout summed it up. He said ‘I’ve thought about my 20 years as district attorney in this county, and I’ve tried to think of one murder that was committed that would have been prevented by the NY Safe Act. I cannot think of one.’”